Engine



Aug. 2, 1966 c. C:` coNNELl.

ENGINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1963 L mN mm mf C w V m C 5 Aug. 2, 1966 c. c. coNNELL 3,263,663

ENGINE Filed Sept. 9. 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVENTR.

Cm. v/N C. CoA/NELL BY 0450A; Serna?. CRn/ rToRA/E United States Patent O 3,263,663 ENGINE Y Calvin C. Connell, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., assignor to Mich., a corpo- This invention relates to accessory mountings for internal combustion engines. It is especially suitable for marine engines of the type ignited by spark plugs, and it is so described for illustration herein, but it is not limited to any particular type of internal combustion engine.

One problem involved in the design, construction, installation and operation of some internal combustion engines, especially marine engines, is the prevention of explosions resulting from sparks caused either by electrical accessories such as cranking motors or generators, or by contact between the pinion of the cranking motor and the cranking or flywheel gear. Even though the electrical accessories of marine engines are supposedly designed and constructed to isolate sparks from any explosive atmosphere, it is sometimes possible for explosive atmospheres to reach the locations of such sparks. This can be very dangerous.

Another problem is the arrangement of such accessories including transmissions, so as to be accessible for repair or replacement. This is especially important in the conned spaces in which marine engines are customarily installed.

Another problem in the design of such engines is to provide interchangeable accessories, including transmissions, and to make a single set of accessories readily adaptable for a wide variety of engines.

Various attempts have been made in the past to solve these problems in various ways, but as far as I know the solutions, while operative Within their inherent limitations, have not been completely satisfactory.

It is therefore among the objects of lthis invention to solve the foregoing problems by:

(1) An improved arrangment of all electrical accessories above the level of the crankshaft and as high as possible, in order to increase the volume of space sur# rounding the engine which must be filled with any fuel vapors rising from the bilge before an explosive mixture will be formed at the location of such electrical accessories.

(2) Supporting the accessories on an improved mounting plate preferably in the form of a housing, so that a single cast housing design can be readily adapted for different sizes and makes of engine, merely by selecting the proper arrangement of bolt holes by which the mounting plate is attached to the engine.

(3) Supporting the accessories in a convenient arrangement on a single support at one end of the engine, so that the entire group of accessories can be readily removed or so that any single accessory can be easily yreached for repair or replacement without having to remove other accessories.

(4) While accomplishing the foregoing, mounting the cranking motor so that the cranking pinion moves into Iand out of contact with the usual flywheel or gear within a sealed housing which is isolated from all explosive atmosphere that may form around the engine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description `and from the accompanying drawings in which each reference character always designates the same part Wherever it occurs.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a marine engine ice combined with lan improved mounting plate or housing and accessories embodying one form of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear end elevation as seen from the left of FIGURE 1 showing an improved mounting plate or housing and showing in phantom lines an improved arrangement of accessories thereon embodying one form of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic layout of the drive gearing shown in FIGURE 3. p

'FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of FIGURE 2.

Before describing the invention in detail it is to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of illustration only and does not constitute any limitation of the invention. x

Referring to the drawings, especially FIGURE 3, any suitable internal combustion engine 10 has a customary end face 12 in the form of a planar machined surface, perpendicular to the usual crankshaft. The crankshaft herein is represented by a flange 14 which is the driving means for an accessory `driving gear 16 bolted. to the llange, the function of which will be described below. Suitably attached to the Crankshaft is the customary iiywheel 18 and starting gear or cranking gear 20.

It is customary to provide such engines with various accessories as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 5, including a transmission contained in a housing 22, a generator 24,

" a `water pump 26, a fuel pump 28 and .a cranking motor 30, all of which must have driving connection with the engine. As lshown best in FIGURES 2 and 3, the transmission housing 22 is in alignment with the crankshaft and the transmission input shaft32 is connected to the crankshaft 14 inany conventional manner as through a `torsional vibration damper 34. The remaining accessories referred to are mounted in a group extending partially about the transmission and in general .above it. In particular, the generator 24 and the cranking motor 30 are mounted above the level of the crankshaft and as high as possible on the assembly. All of these accessories are supported on an improved unitary mounting plate or housing 36, as shown best in FIGURE 3. This has opposite parallel faces 38 and 40. The front face 38 tits against the rear facing 12 of th'e engine and the housing 36 is secured to the engine by any suitable number of bolts 42 (FIGURE 2). The joining of the faces 12 and 3S forms a seal between the engine and the housing 36 which prevents the entrance of any explosive atmos- -phere at this location. The opposite or rear face 40 of the housing 36 is provided with suitable openings 44 and 46 to receive the transmission, generator, water pump, fuel pump and cranking motor, all of which may be secured to the housing 36 by any suitable bolts 48. The contact between each accessory and the rear face 4t) forms a seal `which prevents the entrance of any explosive atmosphere into the housing at this location.

Each accessory is provided with a suitable driving shaft, for example the input shaft 32 of the transmission, the shaft 50 of the water pump 26,. and the shaft 52 of the cranking motor 30. These shafts project through the rear face 40 of the housing 36 into the interior of the housing. The housing is provided with a partition wal-l 54, which divides it into a front chamber 56 and a back chamber 58. This wall is provided with an opening 60 through which the crankshaft 14 projects and which is sealed to the crankshaft by any suitable seal 62. The cranking gear 20 is placed in the front chamber and the wall 54 is provided with another opening, not shown, through which the shaft 52 of the cranking motor can project to establish driving connection between the pinion 53 and the cranking gear 20.

The cranking motor drives the engine when the latter is to be started and is idle at other times. All of the other ydrivingconnection contained in the chamber 58. As

shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the water pump shaft 50 issdriven by a gear 66 driven by a gear 68 on a lay shaft 70` driven by a gear 72 which meshes with the accessory driving gear 16. The generator 24 is driven by gear 74, driven by gear 72. The fuel pump 28 is operated by the customary return spring and arm, not shown, which arm is oscillated by a cam 76 keyed to the water pump shaft 50 and driven by gear 66.

By this arrangement a single generator, a single water pump, a single fuel pump, a single cranking motor, and

' a single transmission housing can be designed and made,

each suitable for a wide variety of engines, whatever make or size. All of these accessories are mounted on a single design of mounting plate or housing. Such housing is made with a wide front face or ange 38 through which bolt holes can be drilled at widely varying locations to tit various engines. It is only necessary to select the ibolt locations to tit each engine and to drill holes for such engine in the uniform mounting plate.

I claim:

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine of accessories for the engine adapting the engine `for marine use and means for supporting the accessories,

the engine including an engine shaft and a block supporting the shaft and having an end face transverse to the shaft, the accessories including a transmission, a cranking motor and a generator, the cranking motor and generator being disposed in a group about the transmission and above the level of the engine shaft, the means for supporting the accessories including a housing having opposite parallel end faces, one of which is provided with a flange secured in sealing contact with the end face of the block, the housing including a partition wall parallel to the engine face and sai-d housing faces and dividing the housing into a first chamber formed partly by the face having a ange and a second chamber at the opposite end of the housing, a cranking gear secured to the engine shaft and disposed in said first chamber formed by the housing having said face provided with a flange, an accessory driving gear positioned in the second charnber, ydriving means projecting through the partition wall connecting the accessory driving gear to the engine shaft, there being a sealing contact between the driving means and the wall, the transmission, cranking motor, and generator being secured externally of said housing to the opposite face of the housing of the second chamber with the contact between each accessory and the latter face forming a seal to seal the second chamber, the generator shaft projecting into said second chamber, gear means in said second chamber connecting said accessory driving gear to said generator shaft, the cranking motor shaft projecting through said wall into said rst chamber, means for connecting the cranking motor shaft to the cranking gear and means in said second chamber connecting said transmission to said engine shaft, said generator shaft, said cranking shaft and said engine shaft all being axially parallel.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the flange on the face of the housing is shaped for securement to the face on various sizes of engines.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,208,962 12/1916 Heinze 12S-195 1,647,434- ll/l927 Chorlton 12S-195 2,784,710 3/1957 Kremser 123-195 FOREIGN PATENTS 104,796 3/ 1917 Great Britain.

MARK NEWMAN, Primm'y Examiner.

W. E. BURNS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE OF ACCESSORIES FOR THE ENGINE ADAPTING THE ENGINE FOR MARINE USE AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE ACCESSORIES, THE ENGINE INCLUDING AN ENGINE SHAFT AND A BLOCK SUPPORTING THE SHAFT AND HAVING AN END FACE TRANSVERSE TO THE SHAFT, THE ACCESSORIES INCLUDING A TRANSMISSION, A CRANKING MOTOR AND A GENERATOR, THE CRANKING MOTOR AND GENERATOR BEING DISPOSED IN A GROUP ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION AND ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE ENGINE SHAFT, THE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE ACCESSORIES INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING OPPOSITE PARALLEL END FACES, ONE OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A FLANGE SECURED IN SEALING CONTACT WITH THE END FACE OF THE BLOCK, THE HOUSING INCLUDING A PARTITION WALL PARALLEL TO THE ENGINE FACE AND SAID HOUSING FACES AND DIVIDING THE HOUSING INTO A FIRST CHAMBER FORMED PARTLY BY THE FACE HAVING A FLANGE AND SECOND CHAMBER AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE HOUSING, A CRANKING GEAR SECURED TO THE ENGINE SHAFT AND DISPOSED IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER FORMED BY THE HOUSING HAVING SAID FACE PROVIDED WITH A FLANGE, AN ACCESSORY DRIVING GEAR POSITIONED IN THE SECOND CHAMBER, DRIVING MEANS PROJECTING THROUGH THE PARTITION WALL CONNECTING THE ACCESSORY DRIVING GEAR TO THE ENGINE SHAFT, THERE BEING A SEALING CONTACT BETWEEN THE DRIVING MEANS AND THE WALL, THE TRANSMISSION, CRANKING MOTOR, AND GENERATOR BEING SECURED EXTERNALLY OF SAID HOUSING TO THE OPPOSITE FACE OF THE HOUSING OF THE SECOND CHAMBER WITH THE CONTACT BETWEEN EACH ACCESSORY AND THE LATTER FACE FORMING A SEAL TO SEAL THE SECOND CHAMBER, THE GENERATOR SHAFT PROJECTING INTO SAID SECOND CHAMBER, GEAR MEANS IN 